She's not her
1076 Words
TESSA
Two weeks. Fourteen days of silence.
After that slap, I didn't see Kyle Maxwell. He disappeared as if he was never there.
Guilt was slowly eating me alive. A part of me was angry that he dug my past… But the other part wanted to apologize.
The rest of the gang still came by for coffee, but Kyle was never with them.
Every time the bell chimed, my heart gave a traitorous leap, only to settle into a dull ache when it was just a regular customer or a delivery driver. I felt the sting of the slap on my hand every time I closed my eyes.
When the guilt deepened, I couldn't hold back anymore and asked Sky about him.
“Where is he?"
I hesitated, wondering what I would do if Sky mentioned that I had been asking about him.
But despite my doubts, I asked anyway.
"Kyle? He’s not in town."
"I can see that," I snapped, then softened my tone. "Where did he go?"
"His father summoned him. He’s supposed to be back in three days."
"His father?" I frowned. Kyle had always carried himself with the hardened edge of someone who had raised himself on the streets.
I knew almost nothing about his family.
The only thing I was certain of was that his mother had passed away. As for his father, nobody in town seemed to know much. Even back in school, I never saw him attend a single competition or event. It was always Kyle’s mother cheering from the sidelines.
According to Maya, Kyle’s mother used to tell people that his father worked abroad.
That was all I knew.
"Sky! Let's go!" Raven shouted from the door. "We’re leaving!"
Before I could ask anything else, Sky gave me an apologetic shrug. "I’ll talk to you later."
He turned and bolted, leaving me alone with the silence. I went back to the counter and started cleaning.
There was nothing I could do except wait.
***
KYLE
I sat at the grand table, a black suit jacket tight across my shoulders, my tie feeling like a noose. My father was drone-striking his way through a business conversation.
Bored, I stared at the crystal chandelier above us, counting the seconds until I could legitimately walk out.
The business talks drained me out.
I couldn’t take it. I excused myself, scraping my chair harshly against the marble floor, and headed straight for the bar.
"Double whiskey," I muttered.
The bartender didn't ask questions. I downed the first glass in a single gulp, watching the elites through the haze. They all looked the same, hollow, hungry, and pretentious.
Just when I thought I could breathe, Father stood before me, flanked by my stepmother and their golden child, my eight-year-old half-brother. The boy looked at me with curious, wide eyes. I looked back at him, feeling absolutely nothing.
"Officer Evans called me," my father said, his voice low. "Illegal racing? What the hell is wrong with you? Quit that s**t, Kyle. Leave that dead-end town and take over the family business. We own the largest estate in the region. You’re my only legitimate heir."
A smirk twisted my lips, devoid of humor. "The largest estate? Is that what you call it?"
I sharply glanced at Lara, my so-called stepmother, then back to my father. "Oakhaven is my mom’s hometown."
"She loved you more than you deserved. She waited for you until the depression hollowed her out, until she couldn't breathe because of the loneliness you left her with.”
“You didn't even show up to her funeral, Nicholas Maxwell."
My father’s face reddened, his eyes darkening.
“Kyle, your dad…” Lara opened her mouth.
“Don't speak between us.”
She swallowed her words, and I turned my gaze back to my father.
"Keep your family business. I’d rather burn it to the ground. My only family right now is Aunt Yuri. If she hadn't begged me to show up tonight, I wouldn't have even breathed the same air as you."
I turned to leave, my blood boiling.
"Kyle, I didn't sell your mother's greenhouse," my father said. "But if you don't make up your mind and inherit the business by the end of the month, I’m selling it. For free."
He was threatening me.
He knew how much my mother cherished that greenhouse. The only property she had in Bellevue, Washington.
The whiskey glass in my hand shattered.
I didn't even realize I had squeezed it that hard until I felt the hot bite of crystal against my palm and the warm liquid dripping down my wrist.
My father didn't flinch, just watched me with that cold, calculating stare.
Without another word, I walked out.
The garden was pitch black and silent. I leaned against a stone wall, pulling out a cigarette with my blood-stained hand.
I lit it, the smoke stinging my lungs, trying to push down the urge to go back inside and break everything.
"You look like you're having a terrible night," a soft voice cooed.
I looked down. A girl, one of the guests I’d seen earlier, was standing there. She was draped in silk that barely covered her.
She slowly came closer, her fingers reaching for my chest. “Maybe I can help you forget it.”
I observed the way her lips parted. I saw the invitation. I grabbed her arm, dragging her toward the guest villa near the garden.
Stepping inside, I threw her onto the bed, not bothering to be gentle. I moved on top of her, tracing her skin.
The way she arched her back, the way she sighed my name. I needed to vent out my anger. She walked in like a prey.
I loosened my tie and grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her close. Slowly, I leaned in, my lips inches from hers.
Suddenly, a flash of white hit my brain, reminding me of her at the very unexpected moment. Tessa Vance.
I froze.
The girl beneath me moaned. “Keep going."
A strange feeling settled over my shoulders. I pulled away fast, getting off the bed.
"Get out," I snarled.
"W-What?" Her eyes widened slightly.
"Get out! Now!" I shouted, my voice echoing against the walls.
She ran. I stood there in the dark, listening to the silence return. I ran a hand through my hair, pressing my palms against my eyes.
I was losing my mind.
- Writer
